Stunt Gags: Atomic Blond Fight Break-Down (Video)
As I mentioned in a previous posts on gags, I’ve heard stunt people refer to gags as well. Now I thought the term gag was also used in the great video below, about the stunts in a fight scene from Atomic Blonde, but after rewatching it I found out I’m mistaken. The term gag isn't used at all, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t interesting to look at this break-down from a gag and story point of view.
When the -awesomely bearded- stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, talks about using as hose and the environment as practical weapons, it sounds very similar to a gag session for an animated film, with only slightly more groin punching:
"And here is there a little detail of a gun disarm with the hose. Trying to think of different ways to utilize it as a defensive weapon. (…) And so in real life for a woman with fighting, when you’re up against men, what do you do to overcome these adversaries? Nut shots are great! (…) And so we try to mess with this environment. Like: What would be there? What could you use? If these guys are armed, how can you combat their weapons with everyday environmental weapons."
Now this video is full of cool tricks and stunt-guy trade secrets, but the thing that I like most about it is that Sam Hargrave gives insight in the thinking behind the gags. There is a reason they stage things a certain way. It is also great to hear him explain how important the reaction is to sell a punch, in many ways the person getting punched is more important that the actor punching him.
I haven’t had a chance to see Atomic Blonde yet, I think it didn’t get very good reviews but this video sure makes me want to see it. I really like how clear the staging of the action is. And how the camera and editing is really precise and decisive.
As is also explained in this video the fact that Charlize Theron went through weeks of extensive fight-training, allowed them to have her do a lot of the fight stunts herself. Because of this there was less reason for shaky cam or quick editing to make things feel more dynamic.
A lot of people complain about shaky cam, but I think that it can sometimes work very good. I'm a fan of the Bourne series and think that in Supremacy and Ultimatum the shaky cam and frantic editing adds a lot of energy to the fights. The Bourne films try to tell a realistic tale about a gritty guy. So it's portrayed in a very realistic matter, almost like a documentary.
But in general most action films lend themselves better for the clarity and calm of the camera and editing as seen in this example from Atomic Blonde. It better suits the story.
